Last year the original Bushido Blade hit the headlines because of
it's innovative gameplay. Realism was the key word as there were no time
limits, no health bars, and one solitary thrust of the blade could mean
certain death for your warrior. I suppose it was the first real
'simulation' beat-em-up.

Eight months later Square Soft unleashed the sequel and after being
confined within the borders of Japan for so many months Bushido Blade 2
recently escaped to make it across to the States just in time for
Christmas.

Genre

Bushido Blade 2 is a 3D beat-em-up where high-resolution characters
hack and slice each others limbs from their torsos until one of them
finally drops dead.

Graphics

The character graphics reminded me very much of the high-resolution
fighters from Dynasty Warriors, although thankfully their control was a
little more responsive.

Each character is dressed for action and it is amazing how elaborately
detailed their garments appear, although quite tasteless in some cases
(where do they get those flares from?). They are incredibly well animated
and fluid in their movements, especially when the run button is held down.

An additional touch is that you get to select to play in first, or third
person perspective. Staring through the eyes of your fighter can be quite
harrowing, especially when a razor sharp blade is heading your way. Of
course if you prefer the sight of blood then the distant view allows you
to watch the rich red fountain explode as the main jugular is sliced open.

Although the character graphics have been improved the scenery doesn't
quite live up to the original and suffers from glitching and occasional
pop-up. The developers have opted to keep the background shrouded in
darkness and shadows with the visibility line a little too close for
comfort. Still... I suppose it keeps the frame rate up. The playing arenas
are much smaller than last years game and severly limit the ability to
pick up a little pace and get out of harms way. More often than not you
will probably stand your ground and fight rather than go wandering off
through the woods, as I recall experiancing in the original game.

Sounds and Effects

The sound effects are as over the top as we have come to expect from
games of this genre. The clash of steel striking steel as your weapons
connect is awesome, so crisp and clear. The whoosh of wind accompanies
every leap, a thunderous wallop for every blow, while the sound of
crunching bones and squelshing blood makes you shudder when the fighters
perform their final thrust.

The English voice-overs work, but leave more than a little to be desired,
while the title screen and intro remain in Japanese.

Playability

Traditionally 3D beat-em-ups have followed a familiar format which
involved two outrageous characters going head to head in an enclosed ring
or arena. Once either of the fighters had sustained sufficient blows to
blank out their health bar - it was 'Game Over'. With Bushido Blade 2,
Squaresoft have set about re-inventing the genre.

First to go was the tight confines of the battle arena which has been
replaced by a spacious themed 3D level. Rather than always stand ground
fighters may now take off into the distance for a well earned breather.
Usually your opponent will set off in chase but the playing areas in
Bushido Blade 2 are large enough to lose them for a few moments to devise
a cunning battle plan.

Dependant on the environment, many interactive elements may be used to
your advantage. There are times when the terrain itself can be lethal, as
a little misstep can potentially drop a character to their doom. The key
to success is to use the terrain to your advantage by choosing characters
and weapons which compliment the terrain you are fighting in. For
instance, handfuls of sand may be scooped up and thrown into the eyes of
your opponent, or they may be pressurized towards the edge of a cliff and
then forced over.

Not content with all these changes Squaresoft have removed the
traditional health bar. Instead your character gradually takes on wounds
until eventually they can take no more pain. Receive a slash over the arm
and this limb will be rendered useless and hang limply by the fighters
side. A slice through the leg and your character falls painfully to the
ground. Of course an direct hit to the trunk of the body or a timely
decapitation ends in instantaneous death, which is only fair.

The final major change in style to this genre is the omission of a timing
mechanism. There are no time limits to each bout therefore if you prefer
to run scared then each battle could last for quite some time. Of course
you will soon become bored with running around and much prefer to face
each challenge head on.

For this you must quickly comes to terms with the simplistic control
system. The game is weapons based of which a choice from swords, daggers
and pikes must be made before entering a series of battles. Basic rules of
Bushido Blade 2 include: single hit fatality system ("one death blow"),
body damage system (where the character is incrementally weakened by
successful attacks) and death by fall (character will die if they fall
from a location highter than 20 feet).

It's now simply a case of selecting one of the six initially available
characters, with 12 support fighters waiting in the wings. At certain
points during the game, a support character will jump in for you to
control, and if you can keep them alive they'll be added to your character
roster. Bushido Blade 2 offers six different game modes. Choose either to
battle on your own or have a friend join you.

Story Mode - One player. This is what Bushido Blade 2 is all about. You'll
be allowed to select a main character from either the Narukagami or
Shainto and then their weapon. Weapon selection has no effect on the
outcome of the story but remember, every character has one that they
perform well with; make sure you make the right selection. Battles
progress in a linear fashion where you must fight though a number of ninja
soldiers before confronting a sub-boss. After defeating a number of
sub-bosses, the final confrontation with the main boss will take place.

Training Mode - One player. Still trying to get the hang of the game? No
need to worry, this is where you'll have the chance to train yourself and
see what you are capable of doing. Face an endless line of ninja soldiers
as you learn the nuances of the battle system.

Vs. CPU Mode - One player. When there are no human opponents around to
challenge, there is always the computer. Fight the enemy of your choice
with the weapon of your choice. Also a good way of learning each characterís
abilities.

Vs. Mode - Two players. What fighting game would be complete without a
versus mode? You and your opponent selects a character and weapon to
battle with --- select a battle stage and you two are ready to fight!

Group Battle Mode - Two players. Whose number one? To find out, select
the number of entries on each team, the point system and time limit. Then,
choose a school and organize the team. (When a player chooses a school,
the opponentís school will be selected automatically). Select the
order of the characters and the weapons they will use. The same weapon
cannot be chosen twice.

Link Mode - Two players. By using two PlayStation game consoles, two TVs,
two Bushido Blade 2 Discs and a Link cable, you can enjoy the
ultra-realistic Link Mode. Set in its own special stage, this unique
feature of Bushido Blade 2 allows two players to get a sense what real
sword fighting is like through face to face confrontation in first person
mode.

Finally there are a few changes from the original game that are worth
pointing out. Rather than three attack buttons there are now only two -
the O button executes the 'face' or front attack while the X button does
the 'flip' or back attack. Also missing is the defence button therefore
you must constantly counterattack in order to block. Better still... make
sure that you always get the first blow in. There is also a stance button
which offers three different striking positions.

Value for Money

Bushido Blade 2 doesn't quite live up to the originality set by it's
predecessor. It's worth checking out if you enjoyed the recent Tenchu
Stealth Assassins.

I
was slightly disappointed with Bushido Blade 2. My expectations were
high following the original game but the sequel just didn't seem that
much fun to play.

I found the early fighters a little short on AI, especially when the
fighting arenas were a multi-level design. All you had to do was jump
off a ledge, turn around, climb back and then lunge into your opponent
every time they attempted to climb back onto your level.

The boss characters offered a sterner challenge but once again, when
you realised that they could only be killed from a rear attack it was
simply a matter of timing and endless chasing in circles.